Spanish and German foreign ministers discuss co-official languages and avoid the EU-Israel agreement

Eduardo González Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares was received this Wednesday in Berlin by his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, with whom he discussed the Spanish proposal for the official recognition of Catalan, Basque, and Galician in European institutions. They also avoided discussing the disagreements between Spain and Germany regarding the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Aside from the usual bilateral issues (economic relations, cultural and scientific exchanges, and the teaching of Spanish in Germany), the two ministers reviewed the European agenda, paying particular attention to "the need to promote enlargement, to become increasingly sovereign, to move towards a common defense of the European Union, and to forge new alliances," Albares told the press after the meeting. “We discussed the need to move forward with a common security and defense policy and the integration of our defense industries. I outlined my vision for a European army and the need to give the European Union greater agility in decision-making,” he stated. “We also discussed how Europe must speak with cohesion, with a single voice, on trade, security, and respect for international law, whenever Europe’s interests are at stake,” he continued. The two ministers also addressed “enlargement and the progress made by several candidate countries and, of course, the situation in Ukraine.” Albares reiterated “the importance of maintaining pressure on Russia, of continuing aid to Ukraine, and, above all, of Europeans always speaking with one voice, including in our relationship with Russia, in order to achieve concrete results.” Languages “Of course, we discussed the official status in Europe of our official languages: Catalan, Basque, and Galician,” he affirmed. “This is an important issue for Spain, for this government, and for me as Minister of Foreign Affairs,” he insisted. “Please allow me to refrain from going into details” about the conversation, “not because the details contain anything that cannot be disclosed,” but because the most important thing is “that it be understood that this is a matter of Spain’s national identity, and Spain’s national identity is multilingual; it is not a political issue, it is not a politicized issue, it is the way in which Spaniards live and interact,” he asserted. To date, Germany has been one of the countries most reluctant to accept the official status of Catalan, Basque, and Galician in European institutions. In October 2025, the two governments agreed, through a joint declaration, “to open a dialogue with the aim of finding a response to the Spanish request that its official languages other than Spanish be recognized as official in the European Union in a way that is acceptable to all member states.” Just a month earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared, during a joint press conference in Madrid with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, that he understood Spain's interest in advancing this demand, but limited himself to warning that "Artificial Intelligence (AI)" could facilitate the incorporation of co-official languages in the institutions of the European Union in the medium term, because it would reduce the need for interpreters and allow fluid communication between all the official languages of the EU, something that, he warned, would still require some time. Middle East Albares and Wadephul also discussed the war in Iran and the situation in Palestine on Wednesday. “I have made it clear that there is no military solution to the situation in the Middle East, nor for the Strait of Hormuz, and therefore we must work together to demonstrate that those of us who defend diplomacy, dialogue, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts remain the majority, and that this is the voice of Europe,” Albares stated. He also insisted, “We must move towards a two-state solution,” Palestine and Israel, “which is the only way to guarantee peace and security for all the peoples of the Middle East, including the people of Israel.” “We have not focused on the Association Agreement,” he clarified. “Spain’s position is clear, and this is something we always address within the Foreign Affairs Council,” Albares added. To date, Germany has been one of the member states most opposed to the Spanish proposal to suspend the EU-Israel Agreement due to human rights violations. During his last bilateral meeting with Albares, which took place exactly one year ago in Madrid, Wadephul merely announced that his country would be willing to “participate in the debate” on this issue once the High Representative, Kaja Kallas, concludes her review of the Benjamin Netanyahu government’s compliance. However, Johann Wadephul has consistently expressed his open opposition to the total or partial suspension of the Agreement, deeming it “inappropriate.”

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